Bobsled and skeleton World Cup tour makes fifth stop in St. Moritz this week

Bobsled and skeleton World Cup tour makes fifth stop in St. Moritz this week

ST. MORITZ, Switzerland (Jan. 8, 2014)- The World Cup tour makes its fifth stop in St. Moritz, Switzerland Jan. 10-12 on the world’s only natural ice track. A crew of ice workers from the Tyrol region constructs the Olympia Bobrun each season over just three weeks. Since the track is built from scratch, there are small nuances in the course each year.

The St. Moritz World Cup features double men’s skeleton races. The competition schedule is as follows, with all times listed in local time first and ET in parentheses:

Friday, Jan. 10:

10 a.m. (4 a.m.): Men’s skeleton heat #1

11:30 a.m. (5:30 a.m.): Men’s skeleton heat #2

Saturday, Jan. 11:

8:30 a.m. (2:30 a.m.): Women’s skeleton heat #1

9:45 a.m. (3:45 a.m.): Women’s bobsled heat #1

10:45 a.m. (4:45 a.m.): Women’s skeleton heat #2

12 p.m. (6 a.m.): Women’s bobsled heat #2

1:15 p.m. (7:15 a.m.): Men’s two-man bobsled heat #1

2:45 p.m. (8:45 a.m.): Men’s two-man bobsled heat #2

Sunday, Jan. 12:

9 a.m. (3 a.m.): Men’s skeleton heat #1

10:15 a.m. (4:15 a.m.): Men’s four-man bobsled heat #1

11:30 a.m. (5:30 a.m.): Men’s skeleton heat #2

12:45 p.m. (6:45 a.m.): Men’s four-man bobsled heat #2

The International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation recently announced that live streaming and on demand video of the European World Cup events will be available through their Youtube channel, bobskeltv, or via the mobile Digotel Live+ app. Races will also be broadcast on Universal Sports for fans to watch at a more comfortable hour in the U.S.

Steven Holcomb (Park City, Utah) and his crew of Curt Tomasevicz (Shelby, Neb.), Steve Langton (Melrose, Mass.) and Chris Fogt (Alpine, Utah) were 7-for-7 before disappointing results off the podium in last weekend’s World Cup in Winterberg, Germany, and the team is eager to get back on track in St. Moritz. Fogt will race with Holcomb this weekend as USA-1 goes for gold. Holcomb currently leads in two-man standings and is ranked third in four-man.

Nick Cunningham’s (Monterey, Calif.) four-man team this week will be comprised of Justin Olsen (San Antonio, Texas), Johnny Quinn (McKinney, Texas) and Dallas Robinson (Georgetown, Ky.). Abe Morlu (Phoenix, Ariz.) will get a chance to push Cunningham in two-man. Cunningham is ranked fifth in two-man, and 16th in four-man heading into this weekend.

Cory Butner (Yucaipa, Calif.) and Andreas Drbal (Belmont, Calif.) will race two-man together, while Chuck Berkeley (Walnut Creek, Calif.), Adam Clark (Owenton, Ky.) and Chris Langton (Melrose, Mass.) will be Butner’s four-man push team. Butner is third in two-man points, but he needs a strong performance this week to stay ahead of Russian Alexander Zubkov, who is just 14 points behind. Butner is 17th in four-man, and he and Cunningham need to race ahead of the third ranked Russian sled driven by Nikita Zakharov to keep a third U.S. sled qualified for the Olympics.

St. Moritz is a favorite stop on tour for Elana Meyers (Douglasville, Ga.), and not just because she’s a 2013 World Championship medalist on the track. Her then boyfriend, Nic Taylor, asked her to marry him during the award ceremony. Meyers has medaled in all five races this season, and hopes to continue the streak with Aja Evans (Chicago, Ill.) on Saturday. Meyers currently leads in World Cup standings by 68 points. Jamie Greubel (Newtown, Pa.), a four-time medalist this season, will pair with Emily Azevedo (Chico, Calif.), while Jazmine Fenlator (Wayne, N.J.) will race with Katie Eberling (Palos Hills, Ill.). Greubel is currently ranked third overall and Fenlator is sixth.

Noelle Pikus-Pace (Orem, Utah) is now second place in women’s skeleton rank, and is one of the favorites to win this weekend. Pikus-Pace claimed the 2007 World Championship crown by the largest margin in women’s skeleton history on the St. Moritz track, and she claimed silver in the 2013 World Championships on the natural track. With four medals already under her belt this season, Pikus-Pace is gaining momentum towards Sochi and no one would be surprised to see her on top of the podium this Saturday. Katie Uhlaender (Breckenridge, Colo.) rejoins the World Cup tour after an extended break during the holiday. Uhlaender has once again found herself overcoming hurdles in an Olympic year as she battles back from an injury sustained during a training session this fall, but she built a reputation as one of the toughest competitors in the world and is always a threat for the medals.

Matt Antoine (Prairie du Chien, Wisc.) is third in men’s skeleton rank thanks to his two medal performances this season, including a victory in Lake Placid, N.Y. Antoine’s second-career World Cup medal was won in St. Moritz, and the men’s team has posted some of their personal bests in the Swiss mountains. John Daly (Smithtown, N.Y.) helped Team USA win the 2013 World Championship team event, and Kyle Tress (Ewing, N.J.) earned his first top-10 World Cup finish in St. Moritz during the 2011-2012 season. Daly is ranked 10th in World Cup standings, while Tress is currently 14th.

The Intercontinental Cup tour finale takes place in Park City, Utah this weekend with double races held from Jan. 11-12. The North American Cup tour is also wrapping up its season this week with competitions running today through Jan. 12 in Lake Placid, N.Y. The European Cup tour continues with bobsled racing in Igls, Austria today through Jan. 12, and skeleton racing in Koenigssee, Germany Jan. 11-12.

About the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation
The United States Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, based in Lake Placid, N.Y., is the national governing body for the sports of bobsled and skeleton in the United States. The USBSF would like to thank its sponsors, suppliers and contributors for their support: BMW of North America, Century 21 Real Estate, CEVA Logistics, Under Armour, Kampgrounds of America, Boomerang Carnets, 24 Hour Fitness, KBC Helmets, Eastern European Distribution Company, Azad Watches, Latta USA, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Autism Speaks, Park City Lodging, Inc., EDAS/Ripxx, UberSense, Tesa Tape and Ferris Mfg. Corp. For more information, please visit the USBSF website at http://bobsled.teamusa.org.